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Everything is a puzzle to Mike Brink, a brilliant puzzle constructor. Before a brain injury in high school, he was a typical guy, a football player. But afterward, he found out that the injury caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The huge changes in how he saw the world led him to leave football behind. He got advanced degrees on scholarships. But being so different from almost everyone else also left him feeling isolated.
When a psychiatrist at a women’s prison reaches out to him about a puzzle an unusual inmate drew, his curiosity is piqued. When he meets Jess Price, incarcerated for a horrific murder, he’s not just fascinated by the complex and drawing; Mike feels a connection to her.
Jess hasn’t spoken a word since her arrest, not even to defend herself, and Mike wants to figure out the meaning behind her strange puzzle as well as find the true culprit of the murder.
One mysterious puzzle leads Mike into a dangerous situation, going up against very powerful people and forces. But he can’t turn away.
The Puzzle Master blends ancient Jewish mysticism, scholarly research, complex puzzles, horror, and cutting-edge technology into one page-turning story. By the conclusion, the parts were all put together to reveal some curious answers. I personally wasn’t quite on board with a few pieces of the whole at the very end; some of the answers just didn’t work for me. But that may not be the case with many readers; overall, it’s a tantalizing and smart read.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 3 uses of strong language, around 10 instances of moderate profanity, and about 30 uses of mild language. Sexual content includes kissing and some brief allusions to sex. Violence includes threats by gun, shootings, a suicide by gun, a number of gruesome deaths by mysterious means, and other peril.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
